


Short Trip

by grrriliketigers



Series: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room [4]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-03
Updated: 2013-04-03
Packaged: 2017-12-07 09:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/746771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grrriliketigers/pseuds/grrriliketigers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miranda has recently taken retirement -- just in time for empty nest syndrome to start to take over as the girls enter their senior year and prepare for college. Andy, seeing the way Miranda is immediately effected by their imminent departure, endeavors to plan a road trip that would bring the family together -- perhaps for the last time before the twins forge out. The plan is made perilous as Andy and Miranda begin to fight increasingly often. Will the road trip help or hinder?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Short Trip

Miranda sat in the passenger's seat of the car with her arms crossed across her chest. No one in the car was talking to the others, they'd been cooped up together for two days and Miranda wasn't sure how much longer their little family could take the cabin fever. 

Andy was mad; she'd wanted to take them on a journey that would reunite them. Instead Miranda spent hours at a time on her iPad, stopping only when it ran out of battery. The twins were connected to their Blackberries, stooping even to conversing with each other via text message. 

Miranda's phone vibrated. She dug it out of her pocket and scowled, she turned to look at the twins. "I will not respond to any more text messages if we're in spitting distance of each other." 

"Shall I check to make sure we're within spitting distance?" Caroline asked, starting to gather spit in her mouth. 

"It's a figure of speech." Miranda scowled. 

"No shit, mom." Caroline snorted. 

"Language, Caroline." 

"So there's an age limit on swearing? We hear you and Andy swearing, you know. We know that you're not all prim and proper like you claim to be to everyone else." Caroline typed away. 

Cassidy's phone beeped and she stopped typing for a moment then laughed and fist bumped Caroline. 

Andy had had just about all she could take as she gripped the steering wheel. "I'm starting to feel a few swears coming on right about now..." 

"Very classy." Miranda rolled her eyes. 

Caroline's phone beeped and she giggled. Cassidy's phone beeped and she giggled. Cassidy gasped out a soft, "oops." before Miranda's phone beeped. 

Miranda scoffed, "Cassidy, _really_..." 

"It was an accident..."

"Yeah, no kidding." Miranda rolled her eyes. 

Andy sighed inwardly as Miranda tucked the phone back into her purse. Miranda glanced at the time and then glanced at Andy. She knew that it was about time for blood sugar levels to be taken and for all of them to eat. However the last few times Miranda had dared remind Andy she was met with hostility and promptly given a lecture on treating her like a child. 

Miranda pursed her lips and watched the clock. She glanced up at Andy whose eyes seemed to be glued to the road. Miranda looked at her watch and cleared her throat. Andy looked up at her and Miranda smiled tightly. 

Andy glanced at the clock and looked up at Miranda who had turned back to her iPad. 

Andy sighed, getting the hint. "Alright, who's hungry?" 

"I'm on a diet." Cassidy protested. 

"Sweetheart, first of all, you are stick thin, second of all, a diet doesn't mean skipping meals." Miranda looked at Cassidy pointedly through her mirror. 

"Such a hypocrite." Cassidy mumbled. 

Miranda chose not to take the bait. That statement could result in a week long argument about the hypocrisy of 'do as I say not as I do,' because clearly, Miranda admitting that she now sees the error of her ways was just a trick to keep Cassidy from being happy. Miranda _had_ dealt with anorexia multiple times in her tenure in the fashion business and it was the last thing she wanted for anyone and if she had it all to do over again she would have had more respect for herself and her body. However, trying to explain that to teenagers in the current superficial, unrealistic climate was a minefield unto itself. 

Andy put on her blinker and Miranda turned to see what the restaurant advertised for the exit was but was too late. When Andy pulled the camry into the parking lot of a Friendly's Miranda pursed her lips. She lifted the iPad and began typing in Yelp.com and Andy put her hand over the screen and pushed it back to her lap. "We're here and we're eating here." Andy whispered. 

Miranda snorted her disapproval and put the iPad away after wiping away Andy's fingerprints. 

Andy grabbed her monitor and excused herself to the bathroom after they were seated. When she came back to the table there was an orange juice in front of her seat. Andy harumphed as she sat down, "don't do that, don't order for me." 

"The waitress was here and wanted our drink orders." Miranda shrugged noncommittally, "don't get your knickers in a twist, I didn't order you an entree." 

Cassidy's phone beeped and she picked it up. "Cassidy." Andy snapped, "girls, put your phones away during meals. We're going to talk to each other." 

"What's there to say?" Caroline complained. 

"Well, why don't we discuss college. We've seen Princeton, Columbia and Yale." Andy sipped her juice, "did you like them?" 

"Why are we only doing ivy league schools anyway?" Caroline rolled her eyes. 

"Seriously. We're way too good looking to justify that amount of studying." Caroline and Cassidy snickered. 

"The best part about this trip has been the hotel hot tubs." 

Cassidy grinned, "and the coeds."

"You two have one-track minds." Andy sighed. 

"They're teenagers." Miranda smirked, "give them a break. Speaking of coeds, Caroline, where's Derek going to go to college?" 

Caroline shrugged, "wherever gives him enough financial aid. He's been busting his ass to get straight As so he could potentially get a full ride but he hasn't been around so much because of studying and that's pretty annoying. I mean, it's great to have a smart boyfriend but if he's not going to pay any attention to me, what's the point?" 

"Dump him." Cassidy snorted. 

"What about you, Cassidy, how's your love life?" Miranda sipped her water. 

"Nonexistent." 

"What happened to Kiki?" Andy asked. 

"She dumped her." Caroline provided with a laugh. "She dumped her for a freshman." 

"No, she didn't!" Cassidy protested, "no, we both decided that it wasn't working out anymore and we broke up. It was a mutual decision." 

"That's what they all say..." Caroline prodded. 

"You know what? Shut up." Cassidy scowled, "I'm not the one who had to go crawling back to my boyfriend because I promised my virginity to a senior." 

"Would you stop bringing that up in mixed company?" Caroline frowned, "anyway, that was two years ago. I've matured." 

"No, you haven't..." Cassidy snickered. She turned the menu in front of her sister over, "by the way, here's the kids menu."

Caroline pointed to the restrooms, "by the way, there's the bathroom, why don't you go throw up?" 

"Girls, enough." Miranda scolded quietly. 

**

By the time they left the Friendly's it was past ten. Miranda folded her arms across her chest. "I think we should get a hotel for the night." 

"Are you kidding? We're in Connecticut, we're a stone's throw away from Boston."

"No. We're at least three hours away from Boston and you were up late last night and early this morning and I think it's unnecessary to keep driving tonight." Andy looked as though she were about to protest so Miranda continued, "we'll leave straight after breakfast and we'll be in Boston before lunch. We're already ahead of schedule because we didn't go down to Penn." 

Andy heaved a heavy sigh, "fine. Book the hotel." 

**

Miranda exited the bathroom sheathed in a sheer Prada negligee. Andy lay on her side in bed with her eyes closed. Miranda slid into the bed behind her and pressed tightly against her. Nimble fingers pulled Andy's hair away from her neck and she leaned in and raked her teeth gently over Andy's pulse point. 

Andy shrugged her off. "If I'm too tired to drive..." 

Miranda blinked, "are you serious?" 

"You don't have to condescend to me all the time, you know. You could take a break once in a while." 

"Andrea, _really_." Miranda sat up and turned on the light. Andy grimmaced and covered her eyes, "this is supposed to be a vacation. This was your idea and we don't have to rush everything, do we?" 

"I'm not trying to rush, I just really thought -- _think_ \-- that we should get to Boston and spend most of our time there instead of crashing in _Danbury, Connecticut_." 

"You heard the girls, their favorite parts of the trip are the hottubs and the eye candy." Miranda smiled, "trying to insist that they care more about the colleges is not going to make them enjoy themselves." 

"That's what the whole trip is about, Miranda!" Andy protested. 

"I thought that the trip was about getting us out of the house and out of our own ways to spend some much needed time together as a family." 

"Yeah, but if that was the only objective why didn't we just take them to Disneyland? Or the Grand Canyon? You know, for incredibly spoiled people the three of you really don't ask much out of your vacations." 

Miranda laughed softly, "no, I guess I don't. I went grand and exotic places for _work_. On my vacations I just like to spend time with the people I love." 

"So, is it really so much to ask that we just do my thing then? If all _you_ care about is spending time with us can't we do what I want to do then?" Andy crossed her arms across her chest. 

"I just think that trying to fight two teenagers on the definition of 'fun' is a fool's errand." Miranda scowled, "you really just have to roll with the punches, sweetie. It's a losing battle. What's the saying? He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day." 

Andy humphed and frowned. 

"Hey, they'll win this battle but they won't win the war. Keep that in mind. We'll see three colleges in Boston." 

"And I'm the only who cares..." Andy muttered.

Miranda kissed her cheek, "but we all still love you." 

**

"Girls!" Andy yelled again, using her fist to pound on their door. 

"Andrea," Miranda hissed, "don't shout." Miranda pulled out her Blackberry and called Cassidy, "hey, sweetie. It's time for breakfast aren't you guys awake?" 

Andy folded her arms across her chest impatiently. 

"Okay. Fifteen minutes." Miranda ended the call and looked to Andy, "they're downstairs in the hottub. We're going to meet them in the dining room."

Andy looked at her watch and Miranda covered the watch face with her palm. " _Lighten up_." 

Andy pulled her arm away. "I told them that I wanted to be out of here by seven and it's already seven thirty. I don't understand why you're so blaise, at Runway you'd've eaten people alive if they weren't ready when you wanted them to be." 

"Well, dear, after three failed marriages I learned you don't treat people you love the way you treat your employees." Miranda's phone beeped and she read the text message, "they're in the elevator on the way up."

"Good." 

"Did you check your-" 

" _Yes_." 

**

By the time they reached Boston it was almost one. Andy was supposed to eat around noon and despite Miranda's suggestion, Andy didn't want to stop. They checked into their hotel and grabbed a quick bite -- grabbed being the key word, much to Miranda's chagrin. 

They took the Boston College tour first. Andy had to resort to confiscating the twins' cell phones and was sorely tempted to take Miranda's away as well. For a woman who claimed to have no friends, she spent an incongruous amount of time reading and replying to text messages. 

The three Priestlys were so bored by the end of the tour they were practically catatonic. Andy held out little hope for the morale at Boston University. Her hunch was right, the twins and Miranda trudged dutifully through the tour. To her credit, Miranda did try to point out things of interest to the girls though they disregarded everything she said. Their inability to be motivated was clearly starting to get on their mother's nerves. 

Andy was ready to call it a day and release the twins to the hotel hottub when the tour ended back at the student center. 

Cassidy looked at a poster that was tacked to the bulletin board. "Is there a good GLBT club here?"

The tour guide followed her gaze to the rainbow poster, "yeah," he nodded, "yeah, the club's pretty big and active. There's a mixer tonight actually, you could probably attend if you want." 

"Cool." Cassidy smiled. She looked to Miranda, "can I go?" 

"Is it on campus?" She asked their tour guide. 

He nodded, "yes, ma'am, it's in the student org hallway in this building. I can show you where it is, I have a little time before the next tour." 

**

"Come with me." Cassidy insisted, kicking Caroline's chair. 

Caroline rolled her eyes playfully, "why would _I_ go?" 

"Because it's for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, questioning and _allies_." Cassidy smiled, "come on, I want to go but I want you to come too, you're my twin and I don't like being too far from you. Come on."

"Okay," Caroline grinned, "you've swayed me. It'll probably be fun anyway." 

"And maybe you'll be more into the college idea if you spend time with college students." 

Cassidy shrugged at her mother, "I've met college students before, mom. Like, Jackie graduated last year and she's going to NYU and I visited her at her dorm."

"It's different away from home. You might really like these people and the community. You might want to come here." Andy chimed in.

"Yeah, don't get excited." Cassidy smirked. She looked at her phone, "okay, I think it's time to go, we have time to walk over there and be fashionably late."

"Why don't you aim to be fashionably on time and not be immediately pegged as snobby New Yorkers?" Miranda asked. 

"What would be the point? As soon as we tell them who our mother is they'll know we're second generation New York snob." 

"Yeah, get out of here, hooligans." Miranda teased and gave Cassidy's ass a playful swat as she went by. "Stay out of trouble. Cass, I'm looking at you." 

"I never get into trouble!" Cassidy called on the way out the door. 

"Well." Miranda said, sipping her water, "looks like we have the evening to ourselves. Can we go out and have a good time or do you still have that stick up your ass?" 

Andy smirked, "a little of both. Where do you want to go?" 

"We could go dancing." Miranda suggested. 

Andy's eyebrows went up. "Since when do you like dancing? You don't like to be around people." 

"I've always liked dancing. I didn't like to do it much when I worked at Runway because the paparazzi took all the fun out of it." 

"You don't think paparazzi will be a problem anymore?" Andy furrowed her brow.

Miranda shook her head, "no, I'm old news and this is Boston, by the time the Boston paparazzi figure out who I am we'll be done dancing. " 

"I don't think I want to go dancing..." Andy shook her head, "what if we went to a movie?"

"Are you kidding? If I wanted to freeze to death while falling asleep I could crank up the A/C in our bedroom _and_ not have to deal with distracting music and bad dialogue." Miranda rolled her eyes. 

Andy snorted indignantly. 

"What if we got a bottle of Champagne and slipped into the jacuzzi in our room?" Miranda smiled suggestively. 

"Yeah, warm Champagne, great..." 

"Why are you acting like this, Andrea?" Miranda snapped, "you are the only one who's not enjoying this vacation." 

"I'm the only one who's taking this vacation seriously!" Andy frowned.

"An-dre-a," Miranda drew out the name with frustration and exaggeration, "vacations are fun, vacations are not supposed to be work." 

"If we're going to fight can we do it in our room?" Andy scowled, standing up.

"I don't _want_ to fight with you. I want to enjoy your company." Miranda folded her arms across her chest. "Why can't we just have a little wine and snuggle?" 

Andy rolled her eyes. "I'm going up to the room, you can join me if you want." 

**

The twins immediately made a splash upon entering the room. Caroline was taken in by a group of well-dressed gay boys who recognized them as Miranda Priestly's daughters. Cassidy accepted a cup of punch and started surveying the room. 

She locked eyes with a girl in the corner who was selecting the pretzels out of a bowl of trail mix. Cassidy approached and stole one of her pretzels coyly. 

"Hi." The girl laughed, "would you like some pretzels?" 

"Thanks for the offer, but no." Cassidy shook her head and the girl laughed. 

"Alright," she nodded, still smiling, "my name's Maureen, by the way." 

"Mine's Cassidy." 

Caroline looked over and knew that she was probably walking back to the hotel alone later that evening. Caroline had always admired how smooth Cassidy could be, Caroline managed only to entice two guys while Cassidy garnered attention from every gender and age group combination possible. Caroline didn't begrudge it because she was happy with Derek but sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be able to operate like that. 

"How come you haven't come to a meeting before?" Maureen asked. 

"I just transferred here from NYU."

"Really?" Maureen smiled, "I've never really been to New York City but I really want to. Like, I went and I saw a Broadway show there once and I thought the city was wicked nice but I basically just got off the train, got onto the subway, saw the show, lather, rinse, repeat. You know?" 

"I lived there all of my life and I still feel like that." Cassidy sipped her punch, "I mean, there's huge parts of the city that I've never seen. It's like what they say about the Louvre, you could go every day for months and still not see everything there is."

"Have you been to the Louvre?" 

"Yeah, a couple times. The first time you go you just want to make sure you see the Mona Lisa and the Waterlilies, after that you can relax."

Maureen nodded, "I so know the feeling. I did the summmer semester in Paris last year, it was so wonderful, it's such a great city. Did you study there?"

"No, my mother works in publishing so she goes over there a lot and she takes my sister and I with her from time to time." 

"That's so cool. My mom just works in accounting. The most exciting thing she's taken me to see is the water cooler at the end of the row of cubicles." They both laughed. "So, what are you majoring in?"

"I'm an art major." 

"Well, we have an excellent art program, I had some friends who were in it and they loved it. Are you more studio arts or design oriented?"

Cassidy smiled, "studio art, definitely. I feel like graphic design is really wonderful and it's important but it takes part of the heart out of it. I like to be connected with my materials and hold them." 

Maureen nodded, "I'm a literature major, but I'm totally connected with the arts too and that's how I feel. When you see a painting or a sculpture, it just has an energy to it." She looked at her watch, "I'm actually cutting out of here soon, I'm going to a party and you could totally come. Your sister, too, if she wants." 

**

Up in the room Miranda started to take off her blouse. 

"What are you doing?" 

"I'm going to get in the jacuzzi." Miranda stated simply, "feel free to join me if you're going to be in a good mood. Don't forget to check your-" 

"Stop." Andy snapped, "just _stop_. Yes, I will check my blood sugar, stop being such a noodge."

"Excuse me? A what?" Miranda's jaw dropped out of surprise and confusion. 

"A noodge, you're always on my case. I'm not one of your daughters, Miranda, I'm your girlfriend!" Andy snarled. 

"Why are you insisting on picking a fight with me?" Miranda stopped undressing and set her hands on her hips. 

"I'm not!"

"For heaven's sake!" Miranda quickly did up her blouse, "you've been acting even more like a burdened teenager than my teenagers. Maybe if you don't want me to treat you like a child, stop acting like one." 

"Why is that you think that whenever someone disagrees with you they're acting like a child?"

"You have a problem with my age, Andrea, I've been feeling that from you ever since I retired." 

Andy humphed and glared at Miranda, "of course I don't have a problem with your age! I have a problem with your attitude.You're driving me _crazy_!"

"Yeah, well, it's a short trip, darling." Miranda pursed her lips. "One which I believe I will let you take alone." Miranda punctuated her conclusion by slamming the door behind her. 

"Good riddance." Andy shouted at the back of the door. 

Miranda emerged from the hotel onto the street. The temperature had dropped considerably and Miranda shivered. When she thought about stepping into a store and buying a jacket she realized she didn't have her purse, which meant she didn't have her keys of her cell phone. "Great," she muttered.

She shivered again and decided to walk to the Museum of Fine Art and back, giving her sufficient time to both cool off and warm up. 

**

"I have to hand it to you." Caroline rolled her eyes, "you're a little whore but you know how to find the parties." The twins fist bumped. 

"You enjoy the dancing and I'll enjoy Maureen." 

Caroline laughed, "slut." 

** 

Andy paced the floor; she was fuming. She was mad. She was bat out of hell angry. How dare Miranda be angry with _her_ when Miranda was so clearly at fault?

Andy sat down on the bed to brood but as the time started passing and she'd look over at the clock and see that Miranda still wasn't back, her anger started to disipate. Andy finally saw that Miranda's jacket was still hanging up and when she tried to phone her Miranda's purse vibrated on the nightstand and fell off from the vibrations, spilling out onto the floor. 

Andy sighed. Concern for her probably freezing girlfriend flooded through her body and she scowled as she realized that she could understand Miranda's own concern for her. Andy hmphed annoyedly at the revelation and grabbed the jacket and her own keys and purse and left the room. 

As Andy rode down in the elevator she had a sudden sensation of vertigo and she reached out to clutch the railing. She frowned. 

"When did I last eat?" She asked out loud as she started to get dizzier. "...shit." 

**

"Hey," Caroline called as she tried to push through the drunk people to get to her sister. "Cassidy!" She called, finally accepting that she wasn't going to move the two-ton football player that was swaying in front of her. 

"Caroline?" Cassidy called back after a moment. 

"The hotel just called me, Andy passed out and they can't reach mom!" 

"Shit, where's mom?" Cassidy furrowed her brow.

There was a long silence followed by Caroline's "what?"

"Hold on, I'll be right there!" Cassidy yelled over the din of the drinkers and the dancers. She kissed Maureen on the lips. "I have to go." 

"Call me and I hope Andy and your mother are okay."

"Thanks." Cassidy smiled, "and I will." 

**

Miranda sat in the lobby of the Museum. She rubbed her arms and looked at the clock. It was too bad she couldn't go into the exhibits because they had the Van Gogh collection on loan. She'd have to remember to come back when she was warmer and had her money at her disposal. 

Once she was warm she figured she'd have to walk back. Perhaps it would feel quicker the second time around. 

She looked at the clock again and hoped that Andy had remembered to eat and then scolded herself for not trusting Andy to take care of her own body. 

**

Cassidy and Caroline ran up to the front desk. "You called us about our... Andy?" 

"Andrea Sachs?" The concierge asked. 

"Yeah... how many Andys have passed out in your lobby in the past twenty minutes?" Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes, the Priestly twins." The concierge smiled sarcastically, "just a moment." 

The twins exchanged impatient sighs and watched the concierge pick up the phone and call up to the hotel physician. "She's in the physician's office." 

"Sweet," they started for the elevator.

"Are you family?" The concierge called after them, "only family is allowed to visit." 

"Yes, we're family!" Caroline snapped. 

"And if you delay us one more _second_ I will personally see to it that you're fired and your life is ruined." Cassidy threatened as the elevator doors closed in front of them.

Caroline snickered, "I love you." 

A few moments later Miranda walked into the lobby. She sighed with relief upon being engulfed by the welcome heat of the hotel. 

The concierge looked up just as Miranda was walking past him. "Ms. Priestly, your daughters are up in the physician's office with Andrea Sachs."

"What?" Miranda did a double take. "Why?"

"It is my understanding that she fainted." 

Miranda couldn't help but feel that her leaving was partly responsible for Andy's évanoui. Miranda entered the physician's office where Andy was sitting up on a bench flanked by the twins and looking embarrassed.

"Andrea, I'm sorry." Miranda's brow furrowed in concern and she sat down at the end of the bench. 

The twins stood up, "we'll leave you guys alone." 

"No, Miranda, I'm sorry." Andy took Miranda's hand. "I love you and I love the girls and I don't care if we look at colleges or if we spend all day in the pool. I just want to spend time with you. Also, I know you're just concerned about me." 

"I should trust you more." 

"Yeah, you leave for under an hour and look what happens." 

Miranda laughed and tucked a lock of hair behind Andy's ear. "I love you so much." She leaned in and kissed her. "Will you marry me?" 

"Really?" Andy was stunned. 

Miranda nodded, "I just feel like our relationship is so strong and my love for you runs so deep... I want to be with you forever. I want to be your wife." 

Andy smiled against a chill, "I want to be your wife, too, Miranda." Andy pulled her close, holding her against her body. "You're the love of my life, of course I'll marry you." 

Miranda kissed her and pulled off her Sweet Hearts Crown Efva Attling ring and slid it onto Andy's left ring finger but it only made it about half way down. Andy laughed, "I think it's a little small for me. I appreciate the sentiment, though. And too bad because I've always loved that ring."

"I'll get you any ring you want."


End file.
